So just who is this Grandpa, anyway?

It’s been almost a year since I made an introduction post. I was recently blessed with 500 follows (Thank you, thank you, thank you) So I thought I would make an updated introductory post about me and my hopes and dreams for this blog and my life in general.

Showing off my alma mater traveling tee in Dominica

So are you really a Grandpa?

“Sadly no. I am not even a biological father. Not that I didn’t want to be either, it’s just that life never worked out that way for me. I try not to dwell on it too much, but it is a bit of a disappointment that it never happened. I do feel like I am an ‘honorary’ father to my housemate Jane and her husband Frank’s children as I have known them since they were very small and one of them is married already so maybe soon I’ll be an ‘honorary grandfather’ too.”

Jane and myself and Jane’s niece’s grandchild Bella. A bonafide Grandpa would know how to hold a baby. I am holding her like a submarine sandwich. If I am going to be an honorary Grandpa I need to learn to look like I know what I’m doing. She is such a cutie though.

So then why did you pick the name of your blog to be “Globetrotting Grandpa”?

“Well, I am 55 so I am not the age of a lot of bloggers and I wanted a name I could ‘grow old with’. When I was coming up with names for the blog, I really liked ‘Globetrotting Grandpa’ because I was older than most of the people I meet when I travel. Sometimes when you are older people will call you ‘Grandpa’ or ‘Grandma’ and I wanted to own the name. Yes, I am older and not necessarily the demographic for budget travel anymore, but I still plan on doing it as long as I am able”.

On the last day of an Alaska cruise. We’re back in Seattle and I am trying to blend with the chair so they won’t throw me off the boat. I so didn’t want that cruise to end.

So ‘Globetrotting Grandpa” is a travel blog then?

Mostly Yes. But not entirely. I want this blog to be an honest reflection of me. So it also encompasses a few other aspects of my personality as well. Primary of which is Health and Fitness. As I get older it becomes more and more difficult to travel and not be in a fit physical condition. I never want my body to come in between me and my dreams if I can at all avoid it. To that end, I am in the process of trying to lose about 150lbs. It’s been a very difficult undertaking as you can imagine. I am at the point where it is no longer a luxury and will create some serious potential health concerns in the future if not abated. After I succeed I want to try to help others, so the blog hopefully will serve as a testimony to the things I did right (and wrong) to reach my goal.

I also write a lot of amateur poetry and haiku. Each week on Wednesday, I post new entries under the title “Humpday Haiku” I also occasionally write about a book I am reading or some famous poems I enjoy reading. So it is generally a travel blog with some health and fitness and poetry thrown in from time to time.”

Picking and a grinning at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenessee Well more grinning than actual picking. I don’t really play guitar. The photographer asked me to hold it. (probably to cover my belly.) I protested to him “My friends won’t believe I am playing guitar” He retorted with “Your friends won’t believe you are on stage at the Grand Ole Opry either”.

Everyone says a successful blog has to have a niche. so what is yours?

“When I originally started ‘Globetrotting Grandpa’ the name and the mission statement of ‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world’ was very deliberate on my part. I had fallen by the wayside for many years just working a job to survive and just barely at that. I had really let myself go physically. (Some of this was due to Grave’s Disease, but poor health choices didn’t help) and I was only seeing the world through the screen of a computer or television. In my twenties, I had traveled a lot. As I got older, I just sort of went to sleep. It took the deaths of a couple people dear to me to wake up. I want the journal to be an inspiration that time is limited. People say ‘it’s never too late’ but that is just plain not true. You can reach a point where things you hope for are no longer possible. But most of us aren’t there yet. When we get there we know it, not just think it. So we need to make the best use of our time. I want to lead by example that you can still lose weight, travel and open your heart and mind but the meter’s running.

That was my intent and still is. But as the blog began to grow many younger people came on board. Which I am thrilled about. Because the truth is we all have finite years left regardless of our age. And if younger people are reading I hope they can learn from me and maybe try the things that worked for me and consider the things that didn’t turn out so well.

One of the reasons I always wanted to be a Dad and a grandfather was that maybe some of the things I went through would somehow be worthwhile if I could help my child not make the same mistakes. So maybe I still can do this through this blog.

Getting into the mud at St Lucia

So How much have you traveled?

“I have been to all fifty states, a large portion of Canada, a little of Mexico, some of Central America and the Carribean and a large part of Europe and the Middle East. About 35 countries in total. I also have some friends who do guest blogs that have been to Southeast Asia, India, Africa, and South America. All of us are wanting to get to Antartica. So fingers crossed in the future.

I like having some friends who have been places I haven’t submitting contributions. I am also looking to have more guest blogs in the future”.

Setting sail on the “Isle of Skye” for a tour of the Scottish Islands.

So what are your long term goals/aspirations for the blog and for your life in general?

“Long term I ‘d love the blog to be a way to supplement my travels. I have always been the guy who when asked what he’d do if he won the lottery I always say travel more. I don’t expect the blog to be a lotto, I know it is hard work to get a penny from it. I expect to go a couple years (at least) before I earn any money at all. I’m cool with that. This is the time I build content, make the technical changes I need to make to make the blog more user-friendly, and I want to create a community. I never see this as a venue for me to ‘hawk merchandise’. I want to establish trust with my readers and maybe someday offer recommendations for products or services I have used and LOVED. If I don’t believe in no amount of money is worth losing my readers over.

When it comes to Health and Fitness once I lose my weight I really want to be a true friend to those who are struggling with improved fitness and weight loss. I’ve been burned by false or shallow promises myself. I would love to coach others and inspire people to reach a point where they are happy with their bodies. Not by my standards but by theirs. I’m not looking to be a guru. Just someone who can say, ‘This worked for me, it might work for you.’ I am not convinced there is a one size fits all magic bullet. Every body and mind is unique. The secret is finding something that works and sticking with it no matter what.

But first I have to find it for myself. So I want the blog to be a journal of the pursuit. And I can’t kid myself. The road to getting myself healthy is a tortuous one. I have to make the trip myself first. So my immediate goals are on that herculean task”.

At the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. I haven’t mastered the selfie yet, and I think the scenery is more interesting than I am, so most of my pictures are without me.

What do you hope to gain from Blogging?

“I already have gotten a lot. I’ve made friends and hope to make many more. I am learning just how much I need to learn about how to manage and maintain a successful blog. I am really digging so many of the blogs I am reading. So many of you are light years ahead of me on writing style, picture quality, and content creation. This blog helped get me out of a seriously dark period. I am loving the whole process and am grateful for all the kind comments and support I have received so far.”

It’s hard to give a favorite state. Hawaii is stunning but has way too many tourists. Alaska and Minnesota are both beautiful but have long cold winters. I always said if I could live anywhere in the US it would be Seattle, so Maybe Washington State. My family is in Kansas so regardless of anywhere else I go my heart is there. We had a huge snowstorm here we had over 10 inches and a lot of the tress had branches fall. One hit our power line and we were without heat or electricity for four days. So I had to stay with friends and a few nights in a motel. I fell off the wagon hard and quit focusing on exercise but still stayed vegan so that part was good. Since I have been back in the house I have been back to exercising and dieting. I plan to post about it in the next day or two. Hope you are well. Is your pendant fixed yet?

I love this blog and I think I have learned a few things from your words, experiences, gentle words of wisdom. I am almost 36 and have just woken up in my 30s to traveling and it’s more than just a trip or just a vacation. It is like a pallet cleanser for the spirit or preconceived notions about places or people.

I have no kids either and really wanted them. Becoming a mentor is really not a bad way to deal with the biological imperative.

Thanks I am glad your are enjoying the blog. I like your description of traveling as a pallet cleanser. I think that’s exactly How I see it. It totally reboots the brain and is deadly for preconceived ideas and prejudices.. I am grateful that I was able to be a proxy parent via my friends and family. And am all about being a good mentor.

Thanks. It may sound odd to say but it is a struggle for me. I grew up with a “pleaser’ mentality that was hard to shake off. I like doing well by people to this day, but I have to be open about who I am as well. It is a challenging balance, but rewarding.

Your reflections resonate with most – the pleaser mentality competing against the desire to stay honest with one’s self. In any case your authenticity shines through in this blog and it’s a pleasure to be part of your journey.